"Breaking News on God and Other Higher Beings in this World and the World to Come" (Edited by Cliff Pickover, www.pickover.com, author of "The Math Book."

Sunday, November 27, 2005

Do space aliens have souls?

Do space aliens have souls? Inquiring minds can check Jesuit's book.

Galaxy-gazing scientists surely wonder about what kind of impact finding life or intelligent beings on another planet would have on the world. But what sort of effect would it have on Catholic beliefs? Would Christian theology be rocked to the core if science someday found a distant orb teeming with little green men, women or other intelligent forms of alien life? Would the church send missionaries to spread the Gospel to aliens? Could aliens even be baptized? Or would they have had their own version of Jesus and have already experienced his universal or galactic plan of salvation? Curious Catholics need not be space buffs to want answers to these questions and others when they pick up a 48-page booklet by a Vatican astronomer.

Interesting speculation. Perhaps, if there's a God, this God would grant souls to any species, regardless of their planet of origin, if the species met certain mental criteria.

The Bible is silent on alien life...I should hope that most religions would broaden the definition of "Man" to include sentient aliens as well, and there would be a sharing or acceptance of religion between species. Would be curious to see what the Vatican has to say on the matter!

See also James Blish's science-fiction novel, "A Case of Conscience", which deals with this issue. Or, come to that, Arthur C. Clarke's short story, "The Star", which also touches on the question of the problems that alien civilizations may pose for faith.

If humans are the only creatures with souls, on this planet or otherwise then God's "handiwork" is a frightening example of why little omnipotent beings shouldn't create egotistical apes. Keepers of the multiverse take notice, humans are one step removed from savagery and should be reconsidered as sole recipients of soul.